[Scan-DC] ARINC Calls for Faster Ratification, Adoption of P25 Radio Technology by Public Safety Agencies

[Alan Henney]

http://newsblaze.com/story/2010092806501700002.bw/topstory.html

ARINC Calls for Faster Ratification, Adoption of P25 Radio Technology by Public Safety Agencies

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - (BUSINESS WIRE) - ARINC Incorporated has told a congressional subcommittee that the nation's 50,000 police, fire, and emergency medical agencies are making very slow progress in adopting "interoperable" radio systems that would provide inter-agency communications in an emergency.

In prepared testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology September 23, ARINC Senior Director of Public Safety Marvin Ingram urged Congress to fund and accelerate the ratification of the industry's Project 25 (P25) radio standard, which has been under development for 20 years.

"Some elements of P25 are already ratified," Ingram said. "But this is still an industry initiative that lacks government funding. It needs a schedule and a push from Congress."

Ingram said radio manufacturers have been slow to build P25-compatible products with no final standard in place, and public safety agencies have been slow to buy as a result. "There is a real need for national leadership and direction to speed up the P25 standards," he added. "Lives are at stake when agencies cannot communicate."

Maryland-based ARINC is a neutral entity that assists the Federal Communications Commission in radio spectrum management, and plays a central role in setting the radio standards for airline communications. ARINC tests and integrates P25 technology from several manufacturers at its testing lab in Annapolis, MD. The company estimates less than 30% of U.S. public safety agencies have P25 compatible radios, even though 9 years have passed since the 9/11 tragedy focused national attention on lack of interoperability.

Ingram also warned that P25 delays have left the market open for proprietary features that make interoperability more difficult to achieve-something that is already happening in the market. Ingram was one of four invited speakers at the hearing "Progress on P25: Furthering Interoperability and Competition for Public Safety Radio Equipment."

Project 25 (P25) is a set of industry standards being developed jointly by the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO), other national communications associations, and federal agencies. It applies to Land Mobile Radio (LMR) systems, which are widely used by local, state, and national public safety agencies. The cost of switching to new P25 technology is generally recognized as a factor delaying adoption, even though the U.S. Department of Homeland Security provides funding incentives for states, counties, and towns that upgrade their systems to P25.

Wednesday's hearing was the second by the Science and Technology Subcommittee focused on P25. In a previous hearing May 27, Committee Chair David Wu noted, "Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for police officers and firefighters from a single region, or even a single city, to be using incompatible communication systems. This lack of interoperability has contributed to the deaths of first responders and hindered the ability to rescue people in harm's way."

ARINC Incorporated, a portfolio company of The Carlyle Group, provides communications, engineering and integration solutions for commercial, defense and government customers worldwide. Headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland with regional headquarters in London and Singapore, ARINC is ISO 9001:2008 certified. For more information, visit the web site at www.arinc.com.

ARINC Incorporated
Brand Management & Communications
Linda Hartwig, +1 410-266-4652
corpcomm at arinc.com